Razor blade stropping holder



y 1963 M. A. SCHMIDT 3,088,252

I RAZOR BLADE STROPPING HOLDER Filed Dec. 22, 1981 INVENTOR. MAElON A. SCHM\DT ATTO ENEYS Uted States Patent 3,688,252 RAZOR BLADE STROPPING HGLDER Marlon A. Schmidt, 1101 W. 2nd, McCool-z, Nehr- Filed Dec. 22, 1961, Ser. No. 161,661 3 Claims. (Cl. 51-218) This invention relates to a novel holder for use in sharpening razor blades on strops.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a simple, practical, efn'cient, and easily used device of the kind indicated, for stropping both single-edged and double-edged safety razor blades, in the same manner as used in stropping straight razors, and obtaining similar sharp and smooth shaving edges.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a device of the character indicated above which comprises a clamp having pivoted razor blade clamping jaws, and a handle composed of a pair of spring arms, tensioned toward each other, which are individually connected to the jaws, and are adapted to be spread away from each other, as the jaws are opened for the insertion or removal of a blade, the jaws being urged toward each other by spring means associated with the jaws, and by the tension of the handle arms.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device of the character indicated above, which is composed of a small number of uncomplex and easily assembled parts, and which can be manufactured in serviceable and well-finished forms, at relatively low cost.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a device of the present invention, clamping a double-edged razor blade to be stropped;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of said device, including the razor blade;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is an end elevation of the razor blade clamp, with the handle removed therefrom, showing the jaws of the clamp held in open position.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the illustrated device comprises a razor blade clamp 10, a handle 12, and clamp liner 14 for direct contact with the opposite sides of and an edge of a razor blade 16, here shown as being a double-edged blade. It is to be understood that the device can be used also for stropping singleedge blades.

The clamp 11 comprises a pair of similar reversed, and opposed jaws 18, each of which comprises a longitudinally elongated rectangular wedge-shaped plate 20, shorter and narrower than the razor blade 16, and has a flat inner surface 22 which intersects the angled outer surface 24 of the plate in a thin outer, longitudinal edge 26. The wider inner edge 28 of the plate 29 is squared, except for a rounded clearance corner 30, at the inner side thereof.

A relatively thin flange 32 on and extending along the outer side of the inner edge 28, is, as shown in FIG- URES 3 and 5, angled toward the plane of the flat inner surface 22, so that when the clamp is applied to a razor strop S, the flange 30 remains out of contact with the strop.

At staggered locations near to and spaced from the ends of the jaw plates 20, hinge ears 34 extend laterally 3,fi38,252 Fatented May 7, 1963 inwardly from and are fixed to the flanges 32, and are located adjacent to, and can be suitably fixed to the wider inner edges of the plates 20. The ears 34 are provided with holes 36 which are aligned with related ears in overlapping and engaged relationship, and which receive a headed hinge pin 38, whereby the jaws 18 are hinged together and prevented from moving endwise relative to each other, with the plates 24 in registered relationship. A coil spring 40 is circumposed on and extends the length of the hinge pin 38 between the inner ears 34, and has, on its opposite ends divergent tensioned arms 42 and 44, respectively, whose free ends 46 bear against the facing surfaces of the flanges 32, whereby the flanges are yieldably urged away from each other and the jaw plates 20 toward each other, for clamping the razor blade 16 therebetween.

The clamp linear 14 comprises a rectangular sheet of the same length as the jaw plates 20, which is folded aolng its center line, as indicated at 4-8, so as to provide two similar and registered rectangular leaves 50, which are wider than the jaw plates 29. The leaves 50 are of somewhat compressible material, on the order of cardboard, so that with the liner 14 positioned between the jaw plates 20, the material of the leaves 50 can sink into existing openings 52 of the razor blade '16 and prevent shifting of the blade relative to the jaws '18. The yieldable nature of the liner 14 further serves to accommodate the extra thickness of the backing on one edge of a single-edged razor blade (not shown), while affording adequate contact of the leaves 50 with the opposite sides of the blade.

As shown in FIGURE 3, the liner 14 is inserted between the jaw plates 20 with its fold 48 substantially flush with the wide inner edges 28 of the jaw plates, so that the free edges 52 of the leaves 50 reach outwardly beyond the thin longitudinal edges 26 of the jaw plates, and are spaced, at a substantial distance from the exposed edge 54 of the razor blade. With this arrangement, the parts of the blade 16 and the parts of the leaves 50 extending beyond the plate edges 26 are free to flex relative to the jaw plates 20, and the part 56 of the blade extending beyond the free edges of the leaves is free to flex relative to the leaves 50, when the blade edge 54 is applied to a strop S.

The handle 12 comprises a pair of similar, longitudinally elongated, coextensive flat straight spring arms 58 which are suitably fixed together, at their outer ends, as indicated at 60, the arms 58 being biased toward each other. The arms 53 have tapered inner end portions 62 which merge into parallel sided terminals 64, which are removably inserted in longitudinal sockets 66, extending along the wider edges 28 of the jaw plates 2!] and opening to one end thereof. As shown in FIGURES 3 and 5, the sockets 66 are substantially elongated rectangular in cross section, with the long dimensions thereof only great enough to snugly receive the handle arm terminals 64, and the narrow dimensions thereof being greater than the thickness of the terminals 62, so that limited flexing of the terminals 62 is provided for, as the arms 58 are moved toward and away from each other. The jaws 18 are adapted to be spaced away from each other, as shown in FIGURE 5, for insertion or removal of the liner 14 and the blade 16, by compressing the jaw plate flanges 32 toward each other against the resistance of the spring 40. This tensions the spring 40 and spreads and tensions the handle arms 58, so that, a liner and blade having been placed between the jaws 18, release of the flanges 32 frees the spring 40 and the handle arms 58 to resile and clamp the jaws together on the liner 14.

In use and operation, the blade edge is stropped, first on one side thereof and then on its other side, by placing one side of the clamp .10 flatwise on the liner upper surface 68 of the strop S, with the clamp 10 positioned at an obtuse angle to the length of the strop, and with the handle 12 held in the hand, pressing the clamp down on the strop surface 68 and working the clamp lengthwise therealong, in the same manner in which a straight razor is usually manipulated. Stropping of the other side of the blade edge 54 is accomplished in the same way, with the other side of the clamp applied to the strop surface 68. Stropping of the other edge of the blade 16 is done by removing and reversing the blade in the liner so as to expose this other edge, and then stropping as above described.

Although there has been shown and described a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

g l. A razor blade stropping holder comprising a pair of opposed and registered jaw plates having outer longitudinal edges and inner lonigtudinal edges, means hinging the jaw plates together at their inner edges, spring means yieldably urging the jaw plates toward each other, said jaw plates having flat inner surfaces adapted to assume parallel relationship when the jaw plates are closed, said jaw plates being narrower than a razor blade to be stropped, and a compressible liner comprising leaves wider than the jaw plates and narrower than a razor blade, said leaves having inner edges and free outer edges, means hingedly connecting the inner edges of the leaves, said liner being disposed between the jaw plates and engaged with related inner surfaces of the jaw plates and adapted to receive a razor blade therebetween, said jaw plates being of wedge cross section and having fiat outer surfaces which intersect the inner surfaces to define thin outer longitudinal edges on the jaw plates, the inner longitudinal edges of the jaw plates being relatively wide, convergent flanges on and extending along the wide inner edges of the plates adjacent to their outer surfaces, lateral longitudinally spaced overlapped ears on the flanges adjacent the wider edges of the plates, and a headed hinge pin traversing the overlapped ears.

2. A razor blade stropping holder comprising a pair of opposed and registered jaw plates having outer longitudinal edges and inner longitudinal edges, means hinging the jaw plates together at their inner edges, spring means yieldably urging the jaw plates toward each other, said jaw plates having flat inner surfaces adapted to assume parallel relationship when the jaw plates are closed, said jaw plates being narrower than a'razor blade to be stropped, and a compressible lin'e'r comprising leaves wider than the jaw plates and narrower than a razor blade, said leaves having inner edges and free outer edges, means hingedly connecting the inner edges of the leaves, said liner being disposed between the jaw plates and engaged with related inner surfaces of the jaw plates and adapted to receive a razor blade therebetween, said jaw plates being of wedge cross sectionand flat outer surfaces which intersect the inner surfaces'to define thin outer longitudinal edges on the jaw plates, the inner longitudinal edges of the jaw plates being relatively wide, convergent flanges on and extending along the wide inner edges of the plates adjacent to their outer surfaces, lateral longitudinally spaced overlapped ears on the flanges adjacent the wider edges of the plates, and a headed hinge pin traversing the overlapped ears, said spring means comprising a coil spring circumposed on the hinge pin between adjacent ears, said spring having divergent arms on its ends bearing against the facing surfaces of the flanges.

3. A razor blade stropping holder comprising a pair of opposed and registered jaw plates having outer longitudinal edges and inner longitudinal edges, means hinging the jaw plates together at their inner, edges, spring means yieldably urging the jaw' plates toward each other, said jaw plates having flat inner surfaces adapted to assume parallel relationship when the jaw plates are closed, said jaw plates being narrower than a razor blade to be stropped, and a compressible liner comprising leaves wider than the jaw plates and narrower than a razor blade, said leaves having inner edges and free outer edges, means hingedly connecting the inner edges of the leaves, said liner being disposed between the jaw plates and engaged with related inner surfaces of the jaw plates and adapted to receive a razor blade therebetween, an elongated handle extending longitudinally from one end of the holder, said handle comprising a pair of spring arms, means fixing the ends of the arms remote from the holder together, said arms being tensioned toward each other and having terminals on their other ends severally secured to the jaw plates, said jaw plates having longitudinal sockets'adjacent to and extending along their inner edges and opening to one end of the jaw plates, the terminals of the handle arms being securably engaged in the sockets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 765,885 Gage July 26, 1904 1,167,589 Morgan Jan. 11, 1916 1,293,751 Garrison Feb. 11, 1919 1,428, 164 Hastings Sept. 5, 1922 1,470,514 Voges Oct. 9, 1923 1,506,534 Knight Aug. 26, 1924 1,507,737 James Sept. 9, 1924 1,547,397 Jones July 28, 1925 r 1,622,904 Crews Mar. 29, 1927 1,820,218 Frank Aug. 25, 1931 1,910,310 Walker et a1 May 23, 1933 2,930,120 Sherosky Mar. 29, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 273,05'1 Great Britain June 30, 1927 

1. A RAZOR BLADE STROPPING HOLDER COMPRISING A PAIR OF OPPOSED AND REGISTERED JAW PLATES HAVING OUTER LONGITUDINAL EDGES AND INNER LONIGTUDINAL EDGES, MEANS HINGING THE JAW PLATES TOGETHER AT INNER EDGES, SPRING MEANS YIELDABLY URGING THE JAW PLATES TOWARD EACH OTHER, SAID JAW PLATES HAVING FLAT INNER SURFACE ADAPTED TO ASSUME PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP WHEN THE JAW PLATES ARE CLOSED, SAID JAW PLATES BEING NARROWER THAN A RAZOR BLADE TO BE STROPPED, AND A COMPRESSIBLE LINER COMPRISING LEAVES WIDER THAN THE JAW PLATES AND NARROWER THAN A RAZOR BLADE, SAID LEAVES HAVING INNER EDGES AND FREE OUTER EDGES, MEANS HINGEDLY CONNECTING THE INNER EDGES OF THE LEAVES, SAID LINER BEING DISPOSED BETWEEN THE JAW PLATES AND ENGAGED WITH RELATED INNER SURFACES OF THE JAW PLATES AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A RAZOR BLADE THEREBETWEEN, SAID JAW PLATES BEING OF WEDGE CROSS SECTION AND HAVING FLAT OUTER SURFACES WHICH INTERSECT THE INNER SURFACES TO DEFINE THIN OUTER LONGITUDINAL EDGES ON THE JAW PLATES, THE INNER LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF THE JAW PLATES BEING RELATIVELY WIDE, CONVERGENT FLANGES ON AND EXTENDING ALONG THE WIDE INNER EDGES OF THE PLATES ADJACENT TO THEIR OUTER SURFACES, LATERAL LONGITUDINALLY SPACED OVERLAPPED EARS ON THE FLANGES ADJACENT THE WIDER EDGES OF THE PLATES, AND A HEADED HINGE PIN TRAVERSING THE OVERLAPPED EARS. 